Device for severing fixed length of tape



Sept. 20, 1966 rrsu NAKAJIMA ETAL 3,273,772

DEVICE FOR SEVERING FIXED LENGTH OF TAPE Filed July 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 20, 1966 5u NAKAJIMA EI'AL 3,273,772

DEVICE FOR SEVERING FIXED LENGTH OF TAPE Filed July 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS J/sau/ Nakq m a H/rom/ HQ 4154/ Mai, MQ-M ATTOR/VE Y5 United States Patent 3,273,772 DEVICE FOR SEVERING FIXED LENGTH OF TAPE Jitsuji Nakajima, Ibaralri, Hirorni Hayashi, Kyoto-kn, and

Kenii Onishi, Iharaki, .Iapan, assignors to Nitto Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, Ibaralti, Japan Filed July 14, 1964, Ser. No. 382,509 Claims priority, application Japan, July 17, 1963, 38/ 38,7 7 0 2 Claims. (Cl. 22512) This invention relates to an adhesive tape severing device and more particularly to a device for drawing out a fixed length of an adhesive tape from a supply roll and severing the tape of the fixed length so drawn.

Usually an adhesive tape is sold in a rolled form. It is sometimes desired to draw-out from or unwind from the roll a fixed length. For example, when sealing by such adhesive tape each of a number of envelopes of equal size it would be very convenient if fixed lengths (adapted to seal the particular envelope) of an adhesive tape could be automatically drawn from a supply roll. There are some other cases where such draw-out of fixed lengths of adhesive tape and subsequent cutting is desired.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a device so constructed that a fixed length of an adhesive tape can be drawn from a supply roll and the adhesive tape of the fixed length so drawn can be severed.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a device of the above type which is simple in construction and easy and steady in operation.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

Briefly, the device of this invention is adapted to receive and freely rotatably support a roll of adhesive tape, and comprises a cutter blade, a freely rotatable roller between the roll of the adhesive tape and the cutter blade, and locking means for locking the said roller when the latter has made .a predetermined amount of rotative movement, the arrangement being such that the adhesive tape is drawn out of the supply roll and passed in adhesive driving contact with and over the roller, and when the roller has been rotated at predetermined amount it is locked by said locking means and the advancement of the adhesive tape is restrained accordingly, whereby the adhesive tape is severed by the cutter blade and the looking means is released.

Various suitable mechanisms may be utilized to lock and release the roller. For example, the roller may be freely rotatably mounted on an upper end of a lever which is pivotally mounted on the device frame, so that when the adhesive tape is pulled in adhesive driving con tact with the surface of the roller the latter, while being rotated, will be swung together with the lever in the trailing direction of the adhesive tape. There is provided a means for determining and limiting the amount of the angular or swinging movement of the lever. The roller is associated with a pawl or the like movable with said roller. A stopper means is also provided so that when the roller has been swung and rotated the pawl is engaged with the stopper means to prevent the further movement of the roller. When the roller is thus locked the adhesive tape can not be pulled further due to its adhesive engagement with the roller surface, whereupon the tape is severed by the cutter blade. When the tape is severed the tension of the adhesive tape on the roller is released so that the roller is swung in the opposite direction to disengage the pawl from the stopper means due to the rollers own gravity or by means of a spring attached to the roller supporting lever. Preferably guide roll(s) are arranged on the path of the tap to force the tape into contact with the roller. By varying the position of the pawl the amount of movement of the roller (and 3,273,772 Patented Sept. 20, 1966 hence the length of the tape to be drawn) may be varied if so desired.

The invention will be explained in more detail by referring to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a device of this invention, with a side wall being cutaway partly, the device being in the position just before starting the operation,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the device in the position immediately before the tape is severed after a predetermined length thereof has been drawn off a supply roll,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing another embodiment of this invention, and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the embodiment of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, the device is adapted to receive and rotatably support a roll of tape T. A lever 11 is pivotally mounted at its lower end on the frame at 2. A roller 3 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 4 which is rotatably supported in a groove formed in the upper or free end of said lever 1. A pin 5 is attached to the lower end portion of the lever 1 and has a spring 6 attached to the free end thereof so that the pin 5 is normally urged downward (FIG. 1), i.e., the lever 1 is forced to return to a first position shown in FIG. 1. The shaft 4 is provided with an outwardly projecting pawl 7 attached thereto in such a manner that said pawl 1 will not be normally engaged with the front end of a lever 9 pivotable around a shaft 8 secured to a side wall of the frame. Attached to the rear end of said lever 9 is one end of a spring 10 which is fixed at its lower end to the frame. Positioned before and behind the roller 3 are guide rollers 11 and 12, respectively. A cutter blade 13 is attached to the rear end of the frame, and a roller 14 is provided in front of said cutter blade 13. The roll of tape T is rotatably supported on the front end of the frame.

In operation, if the free end of the tape T is drawn away from the roll of tape T so that the tape successively engages the lower surface of the roller 11, the upper surface of the roller 3 and the lower surface of the roller 12, and then the tape is pulled while in adhesive contact with the roller 3 in the drawing-out direction, i.e., to the right as viewed in the drawing, the roller 3 while being rotated is moved to the right together with the lever 1. That is, the lever 1 is swung clockwise against the action of spring 6 until it abuts against the in 18 where it remains inclined at a fixed angle. In this way after the roller 3 has been moved from the first position shown in FIG. 1 to the right through a fixed angle, which is governed by the distance between pins 17 and 18, the roller 3 is rotated at that position and hence the pawl 7 is rotated to assume the second position shown in FIG. 2. When the roller 3 continues to rotate after the pawl 7 has engaged the lever 9, the lever 9 is swung counterclockwise against a spring 10 until it is stopped by a lower stop member 15, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby stopping the rotation of the roller 3, whereupon the tape may be pressed against the cutter blade 13 so as to be severed thereby. The free end of the remaining tape is left adhering to the surface of the roller 14, thereby facilitating the next drawing-out of the tape.

Upon severance of the tape, the lever 1 with the roller 3 is swung back by means of the spring 6 until the pin 5 is stopped by a stop 17 as shown in FIG. 1. This movement of the lever 1 with the roller 3 is possible because upon the severance of the tape the tension on the remaining tape is released and the tape is allowed to be pulled back by the rotary movement of the roller 14. Thus the pawl 7 is disengaged from the lever 9 which, in turn, is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 1 by the action of the spring 10. Indicated with the numeral 16 is a stop member to stop or define this movement of the lever 9. Indicated with the numeral 13 is a stop member for limiting the amount of clockwise swinging of the lever 1. Since the rollers 11, 12 are used for the purpose of forcing the tape into contact with the roller 3, it is preferable that the lower surfaces of these rollers 11 and 12 be positioned considerably below the upper surface of the roller 3.

While the return mechanisms for the levers 1 and 9 have been described and shown as utilizing spring means, other forms of resilient means known per se may, of course, be used for accomplishing the same effect. It is to be understood that the lever 9 may be fixedly mounted, since it is only necessary that after the severance of the tape the pawl 7 be completely released from the engagement with the pawl as a result of the counterclockwise movement of the lever 1.

It will be understood that since the amount of the rotation of the roller 3 is constant, constant length of the tape is drawn off the supply roll at each operation.

Another embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is same as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 except the return mechanism for the roller 3 and the arrangement of the cutter device. In this embodiment, the center of gravity of the roller 3 and lever 1 is biased toward a roll tape T rather than toward the cutter blade 13 as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the tape is drawn off the roll T the tape is adhesively contacted with the surface of the roller 3 so that the latter with the lever 1 is swung clockwise about the pivot 2 against their own gravity from the first position shown in FIG. 3 to the second or stop position shown in FIG. 4 where the pawl 7 engages the lever 9 to stop the roller 3. The tape is severed by the cutter blade 13 which is supported on a lever 23 which is pivotally mounted at 21 on the frame. After the severance the leading end of the remaining tape is adhered to the surface of a tape retainer 22 provided at the top of the lever 23 adjacent the cutter blade 13. Upon severance, the tension on the tape is released and the roller 3 with the lever 1 is swung back to the original position of FIG. 3 by its own weight due to the action of gravity. In this case, the tape is pulled back so that the lever 23 to which it is adhered at the face 22 and the leading end of the remaining tape are pulled back or swung back around the pivot 21 as shown in FIG. 3. The swing back movement of the lever is limited by the engagement of a projection 18 on the lever to the front face 19 of the frame. When the leading end of the tape is torn off the face 22 for starting the tape drawing operation, the lever 23 is freed so that it swings back to the position shown in FIG. 4 and stops in position by engagement thereof with a projection 211 on the front plate 19. If desired, it is possible to provide. a suitable spring means to swing back the lever 23 by the action of the spring instead of utilizing the gravity of the lever.

What we claim is:

1. A device for drawing a fixed length of an adhesive tape from a supply roll and severing it, said device being adapted to receive and rotatably support a roll of adhesive tape, said device comprising a cutter blade, a freely rotatable roller positioned substantially midway between the tape roll position and the cutter blade and adapted to have the tape run over it, a lever pivoted on said device having said roller mounted on a free end thereof and movable through a fixed angle when a pulling force is exerted on the tape, lever stop means engaged by the lever for limiting the angular movement of said lever to a fixed amount between a first and a second position, a pawl operatively associated with said roller and projecting therefrom, pawl stop means engageable by said pawl when said lever is in said second position to stop the rotation of said roller, a further rotatable means mounted between the cutter blade and said lever and engageable by the end of the tape remaining when the drawn otf length is severed and spring means coupled to said lever urging said lever toward said first position so that said pawl can disengage from said pawl stop means when the tension on the tape is released, the said further roller rotating backward to allow movement of said roller and said lever under the action of said spring.

2. A device for drawing a fixed length of an adhesive tape from a supply roll and severing it, said device being adapted to receive and rotatably support a roll of adhesive tape, said device comprising a cutter blade, a freely rotatable roller positioned substantially midway between the tape roll position and the cutter blade and adapted to have the tape run over it, a lever pivoted on said device having said roller mounted on a free end thereof and movable through a fixed angle when a pulling force is exerted on the tape, lever stop means engaged by the lever for limiting the angular movement of said lever to a fixed amount between a first and a second position, a pawl operatively associated with said roller and projecting therefrom, pawl stop means engageable by said pawl when said lever is in said second position to stop the rotation of said roller, a further rotatable means mounted between the cutter blade and said lever, and engageable by the end of the tape remaining when the drawn off length is severed, said lever and roller together having a center of gravity through which gravity acts to urge said lever toward said first position, so that said pawl can disengage from said pawl stop means when the tension on the tape is released, the said further rotatable means rotating backward to allow movement of said roller and said lever under the action of gravity.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,745,888 2/1930 Boomshine 31239 X 2,251,942 8/1941 Kimball 225-12 2,366,971 1/1945 Kreuger 225-11 2,407,300 9/1946 Smith 22514 X 2,424,488 7/1947 Morin 22518 2,553,658 5/1951 Larson 225l1 2,617,198 11/1952 Sharpe 312-39 X WILLIAM W. DYER, I R., Primary Examiner.

I. M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR DRAWING A FIXED LENGTH OF AN ADHESIVE TAPE FROM A SUPPLY ROLL AND SEVERING IT, SAID DEVICE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND ROTATABLY SUPPORT A ROLL OF ADHESIVE TAPE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A CUTTER BLADE, A FREELY ROTATABLE ROLLER POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TAPE ROLL POSITION AND THE CUTTER BLADE AND ADAPTED TO HAVE THE TAPE RUN OVER IT, A LEVER PIVOTED ON SAID DEVICE HAVING SAID ROLLER MOUNTED ON A FREE END THEREOF AND MOVABLE THROUGH A FIXED ANGLE WHEN A PULLING FORCE IS EXERTED ON THE TAPE, LEVER STOP MEANS ENGAGED BY THE LEVER FOR LIMITING THE ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER TO A FIXED AMOUNT BETWEEN A FIRST AND SECOND POSITION , A PAWL OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ROLLER AND PROJECTING THEREFROM, PAWL STOP MEANS ENGAGEABLE BY SAID PAWL WHEN SAID LEVER IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION TO STOP THE ROTATION OF SAID ROLLER, A FURTHER ROTATABLE MEANS MOUNTED BETWEEN THE CUTTER BLADE AND SAID LEVER AND ENGAGEABLE BY THE END OF THE TAPE REMAINING WHEN THE DRAWN OFF LENGTH IS SERVED AND SPRING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID LEVER URGING SAID LEVER TOWARD SAID FIRST POSITION SO THAT SAID PAWL CAN DISENGAGE FROM SAID PAWL STOP MEANS WHEN THE TENSION ON THE TAPE IS RELEASED, THE SAID FURTHER ROLLER ROTATING BACKWARD TO ALLOW MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER AND SAID LEVER UNDER THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING. 